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The choice is yours...

So my afternoon babysitter hasn't been quite as available as I'd hoped, thus leaving me very little time during the day to tackle those last few projects I had planned to get to before the baby comes. No worries - they're not urgent...but you know me. If they're on my list, I want them done!

A few days ago, I woke up from my nap - and contemplated the 4 or 5 things I wanted to try and accomplish in the 30-45 minutes I had before Deirdre woke up. Everything seemed super important...and although I wasn't stressed about accomplishing any of them, I was stumped as to which one or two I should tackle first.

Do I pick something that can be started and completed, but isn't a priority?Do I opt for a task that's been on the list for way too long?Do I do something that could be done while Deirdre's awake, but is such a priority that I should do it now?Or do I tackle a large project, just so I make some headway on it?

These are the things I was considering as I lay in bed, taking just 5 minutes or so to choose my plan of attack. Of course, my mind also considered the fact that it's a bit of a raw deal that I have to choose in the first place. I found myself irked with the reality that I had just spent 2 hours sleeping, when I could have crossed almost all of those things off my list if I hadn't taken a nap. (Of course - that's not true...I probably could have completed about 3 of them...but when you're throwing a mini-pity party for yourself, rational thinking isn't normally allowed.)

So I felt sorry for myself for another minute or so, frustrated that my lupus fatigue can be so demanding, and then I wised up. I realized that although I nap, which forces me to prioritize and choose only a short list of things to accomplish in the limited time I have left, the fact that I take time to recharge and re-energize allows me to have a choice in the first place. If I didn't nap, I would be a royal mess. Maybe not the very first day...but by the second and the third, my joints would be aching, I'd probably see some swelling, and then where would I be? I wouldn't have any options at all - I wouldn't be able to choose this task over that one, because I wouldn't be capable of tackling any of them in the first place.

Having reminded myself that I'm actually creating opportunities, rather than squashing them, I returned to my mental list of things to do, gladly choosing the highest-priority item to tackle.

Of course - within a minute of my epiphany, I heard Miss Deirdre calling from her room, awake and ready to tackle the afternoon. Oh well - my great list of to-do's would have to wait. Deirdre was waiting for me to come read books with her...something I would gladly choose to do any day of the week!

Comments

It is so hard to have to make these choices, but you made the right ones. The other thing that you should try and do and get your daughter to "help" you work on your projects. I get my 3 year old to help on many things that I would not have thought she could help with. (mostly I give her scraps of fabric to play with while I sew:)

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Sara Gorman was diagnosed with systemic lupus at the age of 26. Determined not to let lupus rewrite her plans for the future, she fought to maintain her demanding work schedule, busy social life, and invincible attitude. But after four years of running her body into the ground, she realized she was fighting life, not living it. Committed to working with the disease rather than against it, she made it her top priority to start living well, despite lupus.
Her book, "Despite Lupus: How to Live Well with a Chronic Illness", details the steps it took to reach that goal.
In 2012, Sara also launched Sara Gorman’s Pillbags – a line of fun, fashionable pill organizers. The stylish, fabric pillbags can be found at retail stores across the country, on Amazon.com, and on her website at www.pillfold.com.
A native of Indiana and graduate of the University of Notre Dame, Sara resides in Northern Virginia with her husband and two young daughters.